Today was the day in the off-season that a bunch of minor leaguers earned their free agency, and the Dodgers were no exception, with 25 players in the system earning the right, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.

A pair of Spring Training 2013 invites here in Palmer and Abreu, but nobody really notable in the sense that there’s a chance for them to rise above organization depth elsewhere. Abreu had a live arm but he missed the whole year and his status is in doubt.

De La Cruz was a ST 2013 invitee, but it’s Sanchez that’s notable here, as for a moment in time everybody was fearing that he’d be the #5 starter. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it just never worked out, as he missed a ton of bats in AAA (10.7 K/9), but had a 5.13 ERA and walked 5.7 guys per nine.

Alfonso was a ST 2013 invitee but didn’t make it due to illness. The real stories here are the free agencies of Tim Wallach‘s son, Matt, and Towles, who was once a highly-regarded prospect for the Astros but could just never put it together.

1B: Sean Burroughs (AAA)

Yes, that one. Burroughs put up a .755 OPS at 22 in the MLB and was basically out of the league by 25.

2B: Rafael Ynoa (AA)

Ynoa might actually be an interesting pickup for somebody and I’d like him back with the Dodgers. He only had a .708 OPS in AA this year at 25, and will likely end up as org depth, but he walks a lot, plays three infield positions, and has solid bat to ball skills. Scouts have said they could see him in a future utility role in the MLB.

3B: Brian Barden (AAA), Pedro Guerrero (AA), Ryan Mount (AA)

Barden was invited to ST 2013 and … that’s about it.

OF: Matt Angle (AAA), Tony Gwynn Jr. (AAA), Jeremy Moore (AAA)

Angle is probably most famous for somehow sticking on the 40-man roster for seemingly forever in 2012, and Moore was a ST 2013 invitee. Gwynn Jr. simply can’t hit, but he can play defense and has utility in the system if they can retain him. He was actually signed to a two-year deal in 2012 but was designated before the end of the season and never made it back to the bigs after being cut in ST 2013.

There’s no Julio Urias appearance this week, but some other quality prospects made the list, including Ross Stripling. Also, the two of the Dodgers‘ short-season leagues began play last week (Pioneer League and Arizona Rookie League).

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Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (5-2 & 4-4)

Player Of The Week – 6/10

Matt Wallach – C

.409/.519/.682/1.201, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 5 BB, 3 K

Tim’s son takes this week’s honors with a nice offensive showing for the ‘Topes. He’s bounced around between Double-A and Triple-A, but should, in theory, remain in Albuquerque the rest of the season.

Player Of The Week – 6/17

Nick Buss – OF

.379/.424/.690/1.114, 6 RBI, 5 2B, 2 3B, 7 R, 2 SB, 3 BB, 6 K

Buss, the former USC product, has been a consistent performer for the Isotopes this season, and had himself a pretty good week.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/10

Blake Johnson – RHP

5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K

Johnson continued his consistent season with a nice showing for the ‘Topes. With Matt Magill back in town, he’s the defacto ace of the team, but Johnson isn’t far behind. It’s too bad he’s already 28 years old.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/17

Red Patterson – RHP

6 2/3 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Patterson made two appearances (one start, one relief appearance) and is proving to be a solid all-around pitcher for the Isotopes this season.

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Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts (3-3 & 4-2)

Player Of The Week – 6/10

Brian Cavazos-Galvez – OF

.353/.353/.588/.941, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1 2B, 2 R, 2 K

Cavazos-Galvez has stepped in for Yasiel Puig, and has done so quite admirably. The 26-year-old has an .825 OPS in 52 games with the Lookouts this season.

Player Of The Week – 6/17

Osvaldo Martinez – IF

.533/.611/.800/1.411, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 2B, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Martinez was acquired last year from the White Sox and has bounced between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s no more than organizational depth.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/10

Duke Von Schamann – RHP

12 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 14 K

It took the Southern League Pitcher Of The Week to keep Chris Reed from claiming this spot for the second time in three weeks. Von Schamann had quite the week for the Lookouts, as the big league club contemplates recalling Zach Lee before season’s end.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/17

Ross Stripling – RHP

12 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 12 K

Stripling’s strong season continues, and he’s quickly challenging Zach Lee for the title of Lookouts’ ace. The 2012 fifth-round pick has performed much better than anyone expected.

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High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (1-6 & 0-4)

Player Of The Week – 6/10

Jonathan Garcia – OF

.560/.577/1.160/1.737, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 2 2B, 2 3B, 5 R, 3 SB, 1 BB, 6 K

Garcia had one of the best weeks any Dodger prospect has had this season, and it earned him California League Player Of The Week honors.

Player Of The Week – 6/17

Darnell Sweeney – SS

.353/.389/.481/.859, 1 RBI, 1 3B, 3 R, 1 SB, 1 BB, 5 K

Sweeney had the best of the short week for the Quakes, as they were coming off the Cal League’s All-Star Game. He’s hit mostly leadoff for the team, and should face the same test next season in Double-A.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/10

Pedro Baez – RHP

3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Not much pitching for the Quakes during this week, hence the honor going to Baez. He’s made a nice transition from third base to the bullpen, but it’s nothing like the Kenley Jansen transition a few years ago.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/17

Jarret Martin – LHP

5 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K

This was Martin’s second start of the season in which he didn’t walk a batter — something he previously said he had never done in his baseball career. Well, now he can say he’s done it twice.

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Low-A Great Lakes Loons (5-3 & 3-1)

Player Of The Week – 6/10

Leo Rodriguez – 3B

.414/.500/.414/.914, 4 RBI, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 K

Despite hitting all singles (12), Rodriguez was the best hitter for the Loons during this week. He’s had a nice season as a utility infielder for the Loons, and he filled in for Corey Seager when he was on the disabled list.

Player Of The Week – 6/17

Corey Seager – SS

.467/.500/1.200/1.700, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 2 2B, 1 BB, 3 K

Seager, who hadn’t played since June 9 prior to this week (MWL also had its All-Star break), returned with a bang. He had a multi-homer game and tacked on another homer for good measure. He’s starting to heat up after what could be considered a slow start. However, he’s just 19 years old and is more than holding his own.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/10

Miguel Sulbaran – LHP

6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K

Sulbaran is eerily similar in stature to Urias, but the Venezuelan native isn’t as talented. Still, he’s holding his own as a 19-year-old in the Midwest League, pitching in the rotation and out of the bullpen.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/17

Arismendy Ozoria – RHP

2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Ozoria has struggled this season, but he had a nice week, striking out five of the seven batters he faced.

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Ogden Raptors (2-2)

Player Of The Week – 6/17

Kyle Farmer – C

.444/.444/1.000/1.444, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 0 BB, 1 K

The 2013 eighth-round pick had himself quite the debut week, albeit a small sample. He’s making the transition from college middle infielder to professional catcher, so anything he provides offensively is just gravy.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/17

Victor Araujo – RHP

6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

This performance would be more impressive if Araujo weren’t already 23.3 years old. He’s quite old for the Pioneer League, but should provide the Raptors with some stability.

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Arizona League Dodgers (2-4)

Player Of The Week – 6/17

Justin Chigbogu – 1B

.353/.389/.765/.1.154, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 2B, 5 R, 0 BB, 8 K

The Dodgers’ fourth-rounder in 2012, Chigbogu had himself a nice debut week in Arizona. As a high school draftee, he’s age-appropriate for the league. He made 11 outs this week, eight of which were strikeouts. That’s something to keep an eye on going forward for the Ryan Howard-clone.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/17

Pablo Gonzalez – RHP

5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K

At 22 years old, Gonzalez is facing mostly teenagers in the Arizona League, so anything he does should be taken with a grain of salt. But he had a nice 2013 debut.

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Dominican Summer League Dodgers (2-4)

Player Of The Week – 6/10

Jose Luis Javier – 3B/2B

.500/.550/.778/1.328, 5 RBI, 1 2B, 2 3B, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K

Javier was the team’s best hitter for the second consecutive week, but he isn’t much of a prospect.

Player Of The Week – 6/17

Luis Rodriguez – C

.429/.529/.786/1.315, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 2B, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 K

The 18-year-old is bordering on too old for the league, but he had a nice week nonetheless. He could get promoted to Arizona if he continues to perform.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/10

Francisco Martinez – RHP

6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

The 21-year-old had a nice outing for the DSL Dodgers this week. Admittedly, I don’t know a lick about him, but he’s old for the DSL at 21.

Pitcher Of The Week – 6/17

Hector Rodriguez – RHP

7 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Rodriguez made two short starts for the DSL club this week. If you combine them, it looks like he had one really solid start. The 18-year-old could be someone to watch in the Dominican.

Welp, this turned out completely differently than what I had assumed was going to happen, with some moves for the better and some for the worse. However, the primary reason that happened was because the Dodgers basically pushed back the tough decisions for a week or two.

I still don’t understand why Justin Sellers needs to be the starter when a platoon at third would work just fine. Regardless, nothing we can do about it now except hope that Sellers hits a lot of balls on the ground and those balls find holes over the next couple of months.

Pleasantly surprised though that Paco Rodriguez makes the staff over Kevin Gregg and friends, as he’s probably the fourth-best reliever on this team right now.

As I alluded to earlier though, the bad part is that this is temporary. Scott Elbert and Hanley Ramirez are out months, but Chad Billingsley and Ted Lilly can come off the DL soon because their stints are retroactive, so moves will need to be made similar to what I speculated earlier.

Basically, trades needs to happen, and soon. I struggle to see a way they make carrying seven or eight starters work long-term without damaging the potential of the bullpen, because they’d have to make moves like sending Paco down because he has options.

So all in all, while the Opening Day roster is set, what the team has really done is just push the tough decisions back, so it’s now in a week or two that we’ll see what the team truly plans on doing for the rest of the season.

Opening Day for the Dodgers is Monday, and since Spring Training feels like it has taken forever, it’s about damn time. Given the closeness of the start of the season though, it’s a bit odd that there are so many question marks as to what will happen with the roster.

Every team has to deal with decisions on the 24th and 25th man, but it’s rare that a team with World Series hopes is still deciding on the rotation and the left side of the starting infield. Since the team’s starting SS is out for two months and there’s a surplus with eight starting pitchers, it’s anybody’s guess as to how it all shakes out.

Personally though, I have to figure the Opening Day 25-man roster looks something like what you see below.

SS – Luis Cruz is a relatively easy choice for me at this spot. He plays solid defense at the position and is the best option available at the moment.

Yes, I’ve read the recent chatter about Justin Sellers getting this spot, which I suppose is possible. However, realistically I can only see that happening if they release Juan Uribe, or they trade both Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano AND go with 11 pitchers, or they roll with no real backup outfielder (Jerry Hairston Jr./Skip Schumaker).

My experience with Ned Colletti and Dodgers roster decision-making has led me to always go with the player who has experience, who is being paid by the team, and who is currently on the 40-man roster. Thus, no Sellers for me.

3B – Jerry Hairston Jr. and Skip Schumaker should platoon here. Hairston doesn’t actually have much of a split (.712 LHP/.694 RHP), but Schumaker does (.762 RHP/.521 LHP). If Don Mattingly plays his cards right here, there an off-chance the Dodgers don’t actually lose much except upside for the two months Hanley’s out, primarily because he plays terrible defense.

The alternative of Sellers’ .607 career MLB OPS, or his ~.700 career MILB OPS outside of the moon base in Albuquerque, is not appealing at all in lieu of an option like this. That logic HAS to win out, right? RIGHT?!

LF – Carl Crawford certainly looks on pace even though his already weak throwing arm looks pathetic right now. Still, he’s swinging a bat and nothing is wrong with his legs, so I can’t see him starting the year on the DL.

IF Bench – The trio of Nick Punto, Schumaker, and Uribe meet Colletti’s three standards, as reviewed above, so they’re basically locks to me. Tim Federowicz makes the team because they cut every other catcher in camp except Matt Wallach, and he’s not making the roster.

OF Bench – Why Alex Castellanos, right? Why over Elian Herrera and Alfredo Amezaga? Amezaga is simple, as he’s not on the 40-man. Herrera, who I don’t think is a quality player anyway, doesn’t provide the potential pop off the bench the Dodgers SORELY lack at the moment. Not putting Castellanos on the bench means the Dodgers would have four hitters with no power … and Uribe, who can’t hit at all.

The order is jumbled because of injury and what not, but this is what was projected at the end of the off-season, and while it’s been an adventure to get here, it’s basically worked out how it was supposed to.

That said, given the way the schedule looks, it’s possible that Chad Billingsley or Zack Greinke could be put on the DL and have their turn skipped a couple times while they work into shape (Greinke) or recover from injury (Billingsley). Either way though, that would only buy the team 10 games or so to do something before a roster decision would be forced.

Lefty Reliever – Sorry Paco Rodriguez, you might be better than two, three, or even four pitchers in the bullpen, but you have options, so bye bye.

Veteran Reliever – Kevin Gregg has a 0.87 ERA over 10.1 IP this spring, while Peter Moylan is at a 7.56 ERA in 8.1 IP. Colletti must have a NRI veteran reliever on the team, so it is Gregg. Plus, he has closing experience, which automatically makes him the best!

Starter Turned Reliever – Ted Lilly has to end up on the DL because he looks fucking terrible. Don’t whine to me about language. It is what it is.

What happened to Chris Capuano? I think he gets traded and soon. I picked him to get dealt over Aaron Harang because he’s a better pitcher and more valuable to teams. That said, there’s an extremely compelling case for Capuano to be in the pen over Harang. It consists of Capuano saying that he can come out of the pen, while Mattingly said he sees Harang as a starter only. I get that, but unless the Dodgers want to get nothing in return, I can’t see why a team would settle for Harang when they could have Capuano, especially given their handedness.

Either way, I’m confident something of significance happens with a trade, because if not, I’m unsure how the pen would shake out unless they carry 13 pitchers. As mentioned earlier, an option would be putting Bills or Greinke on the DL, but that’s a stop-gap solution at best. I suppose Gregg could be let go, but we all know that would burn Ned’s soul, so I figure one of the two healthy excess starters won’t be a Dodger for long.

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Now we just wait for the announcement that Harang has been traded, Gregg has been cut, and Sellers will start at SS because … of course it would happen.

The Dodgers, as a club, have a ton of injuries or guys rehabbing, so I expect this feature to be busy all season.

Two of the most important injury cases will start off today, as we get timeline updates on Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford.

Manager Don Mattingly said March 1 is a very rough target date for Kemp to get into games coming off left shoulder surgery. Crawford will likely be later than that as he returns from Tommy John elbow reconstruction.

“I don’t go definitely March 1 with Matt, because it might not be until March 5 or March 7 when he’s ready to play. That doesn’t mean anything’s wrong.”

Mattingly said both are likely to break in as designated hitters at first.

“Both guys I’ll DH a little early on,” Mattingly said on Friday. “Carl more likely [than Kemp]. He won’t get into games until the medical tests [clear their participation]. I don’t want him in a game and reacting and doing something like spinning to make a throw that we don’t want him doing.”

Kemp is doing all baseball activities, while Crawford is still on a conservative throwing program to rebuild arm strength with the hope that he will be ready by Opening Day.

Crawford is able to hit and participate in most workouts, but he is limited in throwing drills and hasn’t yet thrown beyond 90 feet.

Kemp will be delayed a bit, so he’s not on a completely normal schedule, but he sounds healthy aside from that and should be ready to start the season.

Crawford? Not so much. He seems intent on making an Opening Day appearance, but there’s no logic in rushing him back, especially given that he’s had the past two years submarined by injuries, and exposing him to injury risk by playing him at like 75% seems incredibly stupid.

“If I didn’t move, maybe I die right now,” said Herrera. “It was coming right at my face. Not good.”

Herrera remained in the game until the Dodgers’ half of the inning ended, then was removed for precautionary purposes, but said he was fine.

Considering that he’s one of the few options the Dodgers have for the backup center fielder spot, his health may end up being important the club.

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Tony Gwynn Jr.apparently tried to play through a sports hernia in 2012 but is healthy now.

Gwynn, 30, played with an injury that was never discussed by him or the club. He believes he suffered a sports hernia lifting weights after the 2011 season, but he never had an MRI to diagnose it.

“I didn’t want to know,” he said Friday. “I wasn’t having surgery no matter what I had.”

He was hurting last Spring Training, hurting when Matt Kemp went down with that hamstring injury in early May and the relapse in late May. Needing to fill in for Kemp on almost an everyday basis for several months, Gwynn’s already injured body finally broke down.

You hear this a ton, but it rarely ever works out the way players intend. I totally understand the motivation to play through major injury, but in the end, they usually end up performing terribly and aggravating the injury, which hurts both the team and their career.

There was some measure of satisfaction for Jerry Hairston on Saturday just being in the starting lineup for the Dodgers’ exhibition opener.

Five months ago, bedridden after hip surgery, he doubted it was possible.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Hairston. “I worked really hard to get back. But for the first three months, I didn’t know if I’d be able to play at this level now.”

Unlike other Dodgers coming off surgery, it doesn’t appear as if the injury will limit him going forward.

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As mentioned in the other feature, Eliezer Alfonzo, who signed a minor-league deal in the off-season with an invitation to Spring Training, has been felled by dengue fever and was replaced in major-league camp by Matt Wallach. Eliezer will report to the minor-league portion of Camelback Ranch once healthy enough to do so.

Alfonzo, one of the tens of Spring Training invitees operating on a minor-league deal, is suffering from dengue virus (yes, really). Eliezer will report to the minor-league portion of Camelback Ranch when he’s healthy enough to do so. Nobody knows when that will be, but he was a long-shot to make the roster anyway.

The Dodgers have invited 12 players to their Winter Development Camp, which, after operating for its first five years of existence at Dodger Stadium, will move to Camelback Ranch due to construction at Chavez Ravine.

Chad Billingsley is back on the 15-day DL for the second time this season, and once again it’s due to right elbow soreness. Bills had an MRI that revealed inflammation and will have further tests once the inflammation has subsided.

Chad left his last start early after feeling something in the elbow on a pitch. He had been on quite the run since returning from his first elbow injury, and will be replaced in the rotation by newly-acquired Josh Beckett.

Yasiel Puig, the Dodgers highly-paid Cuban import, was out of the lineup for a few games due to a bruised right heel, according to the Quakes official Twitter page. He returned to bang out four hits on Sunday though, so he should be fine.

Within the last two weeks, Chris Withrow, Chris Reed, Matt Wallach, and Angelo Ponte have all spent time on the 7-day DL, while Kazuya Takano was placed on the 60-day DL.

]]>http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/08/injury-roll-call-billingsley-victorino-lilly-puig-guerrier-hairston-hawksworth-minors/feed/0Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training Notes: Ivan De Jesus & Matt Guerrier Injuries, 8 Cuthttp://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/03/los-angeles-dodgers-spring-training-notes-ivan-de-jesus-matt-guerrier-injuries-8-cut/
http://www.chadmoriyama.com/2012/03/los-angeles-dodgers-spring-training-notes-ivan-de-jesus-matt-guerrier-injuries-8-cut/#commentsMon, 19 Mar 2012 11:45:53 +0000http://www.chadmoriyama.com/?p=4787The recent injury to Ivan De Jesus isn’t likely to affect his standing on the roster, as he was due to be cut anyway, but it is disappointing for somebody who only really made it back from a serious injury last year.

The Dodgers won’t know for certain the extent of Ivan De Jesus’ oblique injury until an MRI is taken Monday, but manager Don Mattingly conceded any playing time missed greatly hampers an already-longshot bid for an Opening Day roster spot.

“It’s hard to compete when you can’t be out there,” said Mattingly. “With this type of injury, there’s not a lot you can do. If you lose eight to 10 days, how many days does it take just to get your timing back? Not a good time to get hurt. You could see it on his face last night. These guys know it hurts your chance.”

Hopefully it’s just a mild strain, but they don’t sound that optimistic.

In better news, Matt Guerrier sounds like he might be ready to go by the start of the season.

Mattingly had better news on reliever Matt Guerrier, who has been out a week with lower back pain. He said the right-hander has continued to improve and plans to throw off a mound Monday. If that goes well, he could face hitters in a simulated game Wednesday and might be game-ready by next weekend.

I’m starting to wonder if it might be better just to put him on the disabled list to start the season and take it slow.

The bullpen is very deep this year, so he would just be a middle reliever with this group anyway. Plus, the team would get extra time to evaluate a camp arm in actual games.